What can a historic black and white photograph tell us about the original colours of a painting? A case study on Edvard Munch's the Scream (1910?)

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dc.contributor.authorSiozos, Panagiotisen_US
dc.contributor.authorSandu, Irina Crina Ancaen_US
dc.contributor.authorStavroulakis, Petros Ioannisen_US
dc.contributor.authorSotiropoulou, Sophiaen_US
dc.contributor.editorCampana, Stefanoen_US
dc.contributor.editorFerdani, Danieleen_US
dc.contributor.editorGraf, Holgeren_US
dc.contributor.editorGuidi, Gabrieleen_US
dc.contributor.editorHegarty, Zackaryen_US
dc.contributor.editorPescarin, Sofiaen_US
dc.contributor.editorRemondino, Fabioen_US
dc.date.accessioned2025-09-05T08:39:40Z
dc.date.available2025-09-05T08:39:40Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractWe present a computational method that uses historical black-and-white photographs combined with recent multi/hyperspectral imaging to detect colour changes in artworks caused by exposure to environmental conditions or other factors over time. The method is based on the comparative study of a historical black and white photograph with a corresponding image derived computationally from the spectral data cube of the most recent acquisition with a spectral camera, by simulating the capture mode based on the sensitivity curves of the film. The proposed method is completed with the necessary calibrations and refinements of the simulation. In this paper, we present the application of the method to the painting of Edvard Munch's The Scream 1910(?) in the MUNCH Museum in Oslo, of which a historic black and white photograph taken with orthochromatic film in 1938 is held in the same museum. The comparison revealed significant differences in lightness, indicative of colour changes, such as fading in the yellow areas and unexpected brightening in the blue areas, a phenomenon not previously reported. The results provide new insights into the material ageing of The Scream and offer a valuable opportunity to study a historical photographic document that captured the painting only a few decades after its creation, preserving evidence of its original appearance that is no longer accessible through direct visual observation. Furthermore, the methodological approach demonstrated here broadly applies to other cultural heritage objects for which historical photographic records and modern spectral imaging are available, providing a non-invasive, data-driven framework for tracking colour and material changes over time.en_US
dc.description.sectionheadersPERCEIVE: Exhibiting the ''Unexhibitable''
dc.description.seriesinformationDigital Heritage
dc.identifier.doi10.2312/dh.20253314
dc.identifier.isbn978-3-03868-277-6
dc.identifier.pages5 pages
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.2312/dh.20253314
dc.identifier.urihttps://diglib.eg.org/handle/10.2312/dh20253314
dc.publisherThe Eurographics Associationen_US
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International License
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectCCS Concepts: Applied computing → Digital libraries and archives; Computing methodologies → Image processing
dc.subjectApplied computing → Digital libraries and archives
dc.subjectComputing methodologies → Image processing
dc.titleWhat can a historic black and white photograph tell us about the original colours of a painting? A case study on Edvard Munch's the Scream (1910?)en_US
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